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Today, Black Americans who spent their lives working toward justice for all will climb the ranks of history.
On Friday, in the White House East Room, where the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was signed, President Joe Biden will highlight the work of Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.); Juneteenth advocate Opal Lee; the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s speechwriter Clarence B. Jones; and the NAACP’s first field secretary in Mississippi, Medgar Evers, who was brutally murdered at his home.
Clyburn has a storied career in politics where he has ushered in new policies like the Affordable Connectivity Program which ignited rural broadband and access to internet for millions. He’s uplifted efforts toward the long-ranging preservation of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) as a graduate of South Carolina State University and has afforded many students the opportunity to engage in the job boom for clean energy through the USDA Rural Energy for America Program (REAP).
“Words cannot express the profound honor and gratitude I feel upon receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom. This recognition is not only a testament to my work, but also to the countless individuals who have supported my journey; the giants who fought alongside me for justice, equity, and the pursuit of progress; and the support of my loving family,” said Rep. Clyburn.
When elected, he became South Carolina’s first Black congressman since George W. Murray in 1893. The election came after he experienced the 1969 Charleston Hospital strike addressing the inequity of Black healthcare workers and the wake of the Orangeburg massacre, where police killed three protesting students at South Carolina State. As he receives this recognition he graciously looks back on a life geared towards political reform and a calling to fight injustice.
“I reflect upon the moment I was elected president of my NAACP Youth Council in Sumter, South Carolina, at the age of 12. From leading student protests in Orangeburg, South Carolina, to marshaling majorities to pass consequential legislation in Congress, I have learned that we all have roles to play in making the greatness of this democracy accessible for everyone,” he explained. “I look forward to continuing my efforts to bend the arc of history towards justice and proving myself worthy of this incredible honor.”
Celebrating Opal Lee
Lee, like Clyburn, has spent a long time fighting for justice and contends that the work toward shaping a better nation isn’t done. At 97 years old, Lee is just now seeing the fruits of her labor come to fruition. For years, she walked door to door in Fort Worth, Texas promoting the importance of Juneteenth, a day of remembrance for the formerly enslaved.
Annually, Lee took the 2.5-mile walk to represent the 2.5 years it took for news of the Emancipation Proclamation to reach cities in Texas. At 89, she conducted a four-month symbolic walk from Fort Worth, to Washington, D.C. hoping to plead her case for a federal holiday to former president Barack Obama. However, her life’s mission would be fulfilled exactly four years later in 2021 when President Biden signed a formal bill instating a day of reminiscing nationwide.
The continuous toil of yearly celebrations as a community informant earned Lee the affectionate title of “Grandmother of Juneteenth.”
Jones Collaborates and Encourages
An attorney, Jones has been a peaceful partner of legends with a stoic semblance of a battle not long forgotten.
King once described him as, “a man of sound judgment, deep insights, great dedication and great integrity,” after he was admitted to the New York bar.
The two knew each other well and advised each other often. Jones represented King during his 1960 tax fraud trial that he eventually overcame and they worked closely as advocates of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC).
In 1962, Jones inspired King to make a statement to John F. Kennedy in the wake of the Cuban Missile Crisis, writing that his “status as a leader requires that you not be silent about an event and issues so decisive to the world.”
One year later, Jones would influence King’s impactful words again as a draft writer of the 1968 “I Have a Dream Speech” during the March on Washington.
Decades have gone by with Jones uplifting and educating the next generation at delivering speeches at college campuses, and local nonprofit entities.
Remembering Medgar Evers
The White House described Evers, one of the three posthumous recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, as someone who “fought for his country in World War II and returned home to lead the fight against segregation in Mississippi.”
Evers, born in 1925 in Decatur, Mississippi, is remembered for his unwavering dedication to the civil rights movement despite facing relentless racism and threats to his life. His childhood was marked by the pervasive specter of racism, with incidents like the lynching of a family friend serving as stark reminders of the injustice prevalent in the community. Determined to make a difference, Evers enlisted in the Army during World War II, serving with distinction in a segregated field battalion in England and France.
After returning, Evers earned a Bachelor of Arts from Alcorn College, where he met Myrlie Beasley, whom he married in 1951. He embarked on a career in activism, joining the NAACP and organizing boycotts and protests to combat segregation and discrimination. His efforts caught the attention of the NAACP national leadership, leading to his appointment as Mississippi’s first field secretary for the organization.
Evers also organized boycotts and advocated for the admission of African American students to the University of Mississippi. Despite facing constant threats and violence, Evers remained steadfast in his commitment to the cause of equality.
His outspokenness in attempts to address the murder of teenager Emmett Till in Mississippi and in favor of veteran Clyde Kennard made him a martyr after Byron De La Beckwith, a member of the White Citizens Council, shot him in the back of the head. The assassination rang in the hearts of thousands who would later attend Evers’ funeral and burial ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery where he received full military honors.
The full list of Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients can be found below:
Michael R. Bloomberg
Gregory J. Boyle
Jim Clyburn
Elizabeth Dole
Phil Donahue
Medgar Wiley Evers (posthumous)
Al Gore
Clarence B. Jones
John Forbes Kerry
Frank R. Lautenberg (posthumous)
Kathleen Genevieve Ledecky
Opal Lee
Ellen Ochoa
Nancy D’Alesandro Pelosi
Jane Rigby
Teresa Romero
Judy Shepard
James Francis Thorpe (posthumous)
Michelle Yeoh
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